1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tab top beverage cans and, more particularly, to a self-contained self-presenting drinking straw for use in beverage cans.
2. Description of Related Art
Beverage cans have been used for decades with more recent developments including the pull tab opening that removably tears away from the can top to provide access, replacing the need for a separate opener; and more recently, in response to environmental concerns, the access tab that is bent down into the can by a pivot, with both the tab and pivot remaining attached to the can to reduce the debris and pollution and to minimize hazards to wildlife.
Throughout this design evolution, the shape of the can top has remained generally unchanged, with an annular groove formed by raised flange around the can top perimeter acting, unfortunately, as a dirt, dust and residue trap. As a result, drinking directly from such a can is unsanitary and distasteful and results in a situation where the choices left to the consumer are to inconveniently obtain a sanitary packaged straw, with the accompanying costs to the economy and the ecology, or risk the potential health consequences.
In response to this dilemma, a number of inventions have been directed toward the design of a completely self-contained straw that would be stored within the can until use and would reliably present itself to the user upon opening of the tab top.
A number of approaches were suggested in the 1970""s and early 1980""s when tab tops were completely removed from the can top upon opening which have been replaced with other alternatives by most can manufacturers due to environmental concerns over the discarding of the separated tab tops. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,656,654 (Brinkley), 4,078,692 (Stein), 4,109,817 (Payne et al), 4,226,356 (Lemalson) and 4,228,913 (Mack et al) are representative of such devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,927 (Cooper et al) shows a resiliently bent straw held in position in the bottom of the can in a concave slot and at the top by a dimple projecting downward from the tab. The straw is weakly positioned at the top and not secured; moreover, the radical redesign of the pressure-resisting can bottom is undesirable.
U.S. Pat. No.4,712,702 (Ayabe et al) discloses a self-contained straw that must be manually removed from the tab after opening, compromising the desired improvements in sanitation and convenience.
Various other methods have been developed relating to the presentation of the straw held in a can requiring expensive alterations in the manufacturing process. U.S. Pat. No. 5,054, 639 (Ahn) teaches a floating straw requiring a straw holder and guide to be attached to the interior of the beverage can. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,827 (Clang et al) a complex mechanism to pivot a compound curved straw through a pair of adjacent can top tab panels is shown. U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,729 (Lee) presents a resilient telescoping straw requiring a can top surface sloping upward to the top opening.
Despite these efforts, no viable reliable solution has heretofore been presented to provide the consumer with the option of drinking from a sanitary self-contained and convenient beverage can straw or traditional pour spout at a production cost acceptable to the marketplace.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a beverage can having a self-contained self-presenting drinking straw that overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a self-contained beverage can straw that accessibly presents itself to the consumer upon opening of the can tab top without requiring the consumer to handle the straw.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a beverage can assembly with a self-presenting drinking straw that pops-up from a beverage can but is retained partially within the can to prevent loss.
Yet another object of the present invention is to reduce the likelihood of transmitting unsanitary materials from beverage can tops to consumers.
It is also an object to provide an improved beverage can while retaining the essential design elements, fabrication methods, and tooling requirements of the traditional tab top beverage can and the existing techniques for the manufacture of pleated plastic straws without increasing metal material costs.
A supplemental object of the present invention is to provide a method for making a beverage can by simultaneously forming a tab rivet post in the can top during formation of the scored removable cylinder in the can top.
A still further objective of the present invention is to reduce the waste paper and plastic pollution associated with the handling and packaging of individually wrapped straws.
The aforesaid objects are achieved individually and in combination and it is not intended that the invention be construed as requiring that two or more of said objects be combined.
In accordance with the present invention, a telescoping drinking straw is secured in resilient compression between the top and bottom of a beverage can. The top of the straw is releasably retained in a cylindrical chamber formed in a pivoting pull tab at the center of the can top. A bulge or bubble, having a cross-sectional area slightly larger than the tab-formed drinking orifice in the can top, is formed in the straw to prevent inadvertent loss or removal of the straw from the opened can. A centering concave dimple is preferably formed in the can floor to guide and constrain the straw during filling and handling.
The present invention provides an inexpensive, user-friendly and effective means for providing the consumer with a sanitary and convenient alternative to current non-hygienic beverage cans without imposing economically unfeasible demands on current manufacturing procedures.